Synopsis
Eighth-grade student and aspiring vlogger, Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher), struggles to make it through the last week of school before leaving to start high school. Contrasting her bubbly and put-together vlogging persona, real-life Kayla struggles with social anxiety.
Cast choice- Turn Up (9/10)
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Acting- Turn Up (9/10)
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Originality- Turn Down (8/10)
Script- Turn Up(8/10)
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Overall rating: 9/10
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Would we watch again?
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Burnham has mastered the encapsulation of the intense awkwardness and anxiety that riddles teenage-dom so well that revisiting it more than once might be quite a painful task. While the film is an absolutely vital watch, second watching might be quite rare.
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Turn-ups and turn-downs?
Short summary
This coming-of-age drama, written and directed by popular internet personality Bo Burnham, perfectly captures the awkwardness that comes along with being a teenager - especially in today’s digital age. Rather than antagonising or belittling the contemporary teenage experience, Burnham has crafted Kayla’s story with resounding empathy and understanding; not surprising as the comedian turned writer-director himself grew up under the internet’s spotlight. Intercut with the film’s main story are Kayla’s vlogs, signalled by the iconic Photobooth beeping countdown. With vlogs such as ‘Putting Yourself Out There’ and ‘Being Yourself, which Kayla records behind a DIY backdrop in her bedroom, she, at the mere onset of her teenage years, has already mastered the modern art of curating your ‘life’ online. Burnham showcases a reality but does not push you into a homogeneous perception, is Kayla’s online persona damaging or healing her introverted and socially excluded real-life self? It is this balance that allows both teenage and adult audiences to resonate with the film’s narrative, while some of us will have to delve way into our box of repressed childhood memories to recall the dreaded pool parties and first crushes, both teenagers now and young adults will know the feeling of living a ‘double life’ all too well.
Turn up reviews recommend you TURN UP to see this movie. So grab some popcorn and maybe bring some friends along with you.
So should you TURN UP to see this movie or TURN DOWN an invite?
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Review by Graciela Mae